


we got it all babe, right where we want it to be

by rosekatxo



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F, Family Bonding, More Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-14 01:57:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14125620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosekatxo/pseuds/rosekatxo
Summary: Charity and Vanessa spend an afternoon at the park with the boys





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> a follow-up to my Mother's Day oneshot, but can probably be read on its own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charity, Vanessa and the boys take a trip to the park

Vanessa was sprawled across the sofa, idly playing with Johnny’s hair as he sat by her feet engrossed in Paw Patrol, when her phone rang. Chuckling to herself as the all-too-familiar name flashed across the screen, she moved into the kitchen to answer it without disturbing her son’s sacred viewing.

“I only saw you a couple of hours ago, Charity,” Vanessa teased in lieu of a greeting. “Am I really that irresistible?”

_“Irresistibly sexy? I think you’ll find that’s me, actually. Although I guess you’re not too bad either.”_

The vet could hear her girlfriend’s smirk over the phone, causing her to roll her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Is there a particular reason you’re calling, or did you just need a little ego boost?”

_“Hey, I can think of other things that need boosting if you’re offering…”_

“I’m not,” Vanessa deadpanned.

Charity let out an exaggerated sigh in response. _“Charming, that is. Anyway, I am actually calling for a reason. Me and the boys are gonna go to the park for a bit, and we thought you might want to join us?”_

Vanessa wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that. This was a big step – they’d already spent a bit of time together with the two youngest, and Vanessa had met Noah a handful of times now, but it had never all of them in one place, and certainly not on an occasion like today.

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t that be kind of… a big deal? All of us being together on Mother’s Day…” she trailed off.

 _“It doesn’t have to be a big deal if we don’t let it. It’s just another day, right? I just thought it’d be nice for us all to spend some time together while the weather’s nice, let the boys run off some steam.”_   Vanessa was silent, so Charity tried a different tack. _“Look, just forget it’s Mother’s Day for a second. If this was just an ordinary Sunday, what would you say?”_

“I’d probably say it sounds like a lovely idea,” Vanessa conceded. “It just… it feels like a big step, that’s all.”

_“Babe, why are you overthinking this so much? I’m not bloomin’ proposing, all I’m talking about is an hour or so at the park. Come on, you know Johnny would love to see Moses again! And anyway, we haven’t seen each other properly all weekend. You know you want to…”_

The barmaid’s gentle teasing caused her girlfriend to smile softly, not that Charity could see her. Yes, it was another step forward in their relationship, but Vanessa would be lying if she said she hadn’t spent a fair amount of the past few weeks wondering how long it would be until they were in a place where all five of them could hang out. Sure, she hadn’t expected it to be quite so soon, but what was the worst that could happen?

“Oh, go on then. You’ve twisted my arm,” she gave in. “You sure Noah won’t mind us gatecrashing your day?”

 _“Course he won’t! In fact, he was the one who said I should ask you. Trust me, Ness, it’s not an issue.”_  

The knowledge that Noah himself had wanted her and Johnny to be included in their family day made Vanessa’s heart swell more than she’d anticipated. She hadn’t spent much time with Charity’s eldest son yet, but he seemed like a lovely kid and she was looking forward to getting to know him properly. Somehow, his approval was the most important to her out of all her girlfriend’s children; Moses was too young to really understand the situation and already seemed pretty comfortable around the vet, and Debbie was old enough not to be too preoccupied with her mother’s relationship status. But Noah – Vanessa knew he’d been through a lot in his fourteen years on the planet, and Charity was trying her hardest to give him a better life now than what they’d lived through the past few years. If Vanessa could help in any way with that, she was determined to - in her eyes, they all deserved the world. And they had to start somewhere.

“Okay, great,” she replied, glancing over at her son who hadn’t moved since she left the room. “Give me half an hour? I was just about to feed Johnny, then I’ll get him ready and meet you there.”

_“That's fine babe, I need to get Moses sorted anyway. See you later.”_

As Vanessa wandered back over to the sofa, she couldn’t help but feel excited at the unexpected turn her day had just taken. Leaning down to kiss the top of Johnny’s head, she spoke. “Hey sweetheart, how about we go to the park for a bit? Would you like that? Moses will be there.”

The little boy nodded excitedly, eyes wide. “Chatty too?”

The blonde stifled a laugh, as she did every time Johnny referred to her girlfriend in this way. Both women found the nickname adorable, although Charity often pretended otherwise, but Vanessa saw the delight in her face every time she heard it. “Yes, Charity’s coming too. So is Noah. They can’t wait to see you!” she tickled Johnny, making him squeal.

“Yay!” He clapped his hands together as Vanessa lifted him onto her hip.

“Let’s go get ready then,” she grinned. “Shall we see if we can find your dinosaur hoodie?”

* * *

 

Half an hour later, Vanessa found herself strolling through the park in search of Charity and her clan. Johnny’s hand was clasped firmly in her own – he was always good as gold, but she remained paranoid that one day he’d run off before she could stop him – but as they rounded the corner and the assorted Dingles came into view, she released her hold. Watching her son toddle as fast as he could over to Moses, who looked equally thrilled to be reunited with his playmate, brought a smile to her face as she jogged the remaining few paces to catch up with them.

“Hey babe,” Charity stood to greet her, pulling her in for a gentle kiss as the two youngest giggled together at their feet, already in a world of their own.

“Hi again,” Vanessa breathed, tearing herself away before they too got lost in the moment. Although she was perfectly comfortable showing her girlfriend affection in public these days, she still wasn’t entirely comfortable about it in front of the kids – or, more specifically, Noah, who’d looked away as their lips met.

She understood, of course. Even now it was weird to see her dad and Megan kissing, and that was as an adult – teenagers were even more embarrassed by the whole thing, as she remembered being herself all those years ago. But it still made her feel slightly guarded around him. “Hi, boys,” she continued, shooting a welcoming smile at them both in turn, to which the eldest replied politely before pulling out his phone.

“Ness!” Moses grinned toothily up at her, tugging at her heartstrings as ever. “Play now, Mummy?” He turned to the taller blonde with a mischievous expression, Johnny joining forces with his puppy-dog eyes. Charity pretended to consider their question carefully, toying with them as they bounced up and down impatiently.

“Go on then,” she sighed exaggeratedly, the corners of her mouth turning up and betraying her true feelings. “In fact, why doesn’t Noah come with you? Give us some time to ourselves while you get to know Johnny better,” she looked pointedly at the teenager as she spoke.

Rolling his eyes, Noah got to his feet. “Fine,” he mock-grumbled, wearing an expression so like the one frequently seen on Charity that Vanessa had to do a double-take. Looking down at the toddlers, he smirked. “Race you to the slide!” The three boys took off, squeals and laughter in their wake as their mothers settled back down onto the bench, the taller woman humming contentedly at the sudden peace.

Charity took the opportunity to wrap her arms around her girlfriend’s waist, pressing a kiss to her bare neck before resting her chin on the shorter woman’s shoulder. Over the past few weeks this had become their go-to cuddling position, one Charity had never been particularly fond of before.

But then, there were a lot of things she’d never been particularly fond of before Vanessa.

Something about her girlfriend made Charity crave physical contact - not just sexually - and that was certainly something she’d never experienced with anyone before. Usually intimacy was reserved for sex and sex alone where Charity was concerned, but now she found herself missing Vanessa’s touch, the feel of the vet’s dainty hand in her own, the delicate patterns her fingers traced on the barmaid’s skin, the comforting touch of her embrace. Charity had never really understood those people who claimed that home was a person, but now she did. Vanessa’s arms felt like _home_ , more than anywhere else ever had. It was a feeling she hoped she’d never lose.

“Had a nice morning, then?” Charity spoke as she twirled Vanessa’s hair between her fingers, relishing in the contentedness of the moment.

“Yeah, it’s been lovely. After you left we just chilled on the sofa for a while and had snuggles. I’ve been so busy lately, it was nice to just spend some time with him.” Vanessa tilted her head to rest on her girlfriend’s. “How about you? Seen Debbie yet?”

“Yeah, she took Sarah and Jack into town but she’s cooking a dinner for us all later I think,” Charity hummed. “She bought me this.” She shoved her arm in Vanessa’s face, the shorter blonde taking hold of her hand and manoeuvring herself in order to look at the delicate chain hanging from her girlfriend's wrist. It was subtle, just links with a small heart in the centre, but Vanessa could tell from the way Charity’s eyes lit up that it meant the world to her. “It’s from all of them, Debbie and Noah and the kids. Noah got me a card and some flowers too, bless him. He has such a good heart, I don’t know how he managed that with mine and his dad’s genes. Even Ross dropped a card off from Moses.”

She sounded so pleasantly surprised that it made Vanessa’s heart soar – her girlfriend deserved all the love in the world, and she was glad she finally seemed to be accepting that.

“Blimey, get you Miss Popular!” the vet teased, scrunching up her nose in the way Charity found ridiculously adorable. “Talk about mother of the year.”

Charity rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that or they just feel guilty if they don’t get me anything,” she scoffed. “We all know I’m not the best mum in the world.”

“Hey, we’ll have none of that,” Vanessa admonished, cupping the taller blonde’s cheek gently. “You’re an amazing mother, any fool can see how much you love those kids and would do anything for them. And they clearly adore you too. If they didn’t they’d have bought you cheap chocolates, not a fancy bracelet,” she joked, hoping to get a smile from her girlfriend. When Charity chuckled, she was satisfied with her attempts at cheering the barmaid up – a talent she seemed to possess in spades.

As Vanessa leant in for another kiss, a loud wail made them break apart. Both heads snapping quickly in the direction of the sound to see all three boys making their way over to them, Moses crying from his position in Noah’s arms. Tears were dripping down his cheeks as he sobbed despite his brother’s best efforts to comfort him. The teenager’s other hand was wrapped around Johnny’s, a sight that made Vanessa smile despite the sorrowful expression on her son’s face.

“Hey hey hey, what’s with the tears mate?” Charity reached out her hands for Noah to pass Moses over, the child immediately curling into his mother’s neck as he continued to hiccough.

“He tripped and hurt his knee, I think,” Noah supplied, Johnny’s hand slipping from his own as the toddler clambered onto Vanessa’s lap, still staring sadly at his playmate.

“Moses hurt,” he babbled.

Vanessa’s heart melted at his concern. “I know, sweetheart, but he’ll be okay,” she reassured. “I think a few cuddles with his mummy will make him feel better.” She looked on lovingly as Charity rocked her youngest back and forth beside her, gently stroking his face as his tears subsided.

“That’s better, bubba,” the taller blonde kissed Moses’s forehead. “Hey, I bet I know what’ll help – how about we get Noah to get you some chocolate?” She gestured for Noah to come closer. “You don’t mind, do you babe? I’ve got my hands full, but if you grab my purse you can get yourself and Johnny something too while you’re there.”

“Sure,” her eldest replied. Before he could reach into Charity’s bag, however, Vanessa pulled out her own purse, nudging Johnny off her lap as she stood up.

“Why don’t I come with you? I’ll get us both a coffee, my treat,” she turned to wink at her girlfriend, who grinned her approval. “Johnny can stay here and help your mum look after Moses, yeah?”

“Cool,” Noah replied, Charity nodding behind him. She shot her girlfriend a knowing smile – Vanessa had been hoping to spend some alone time with Noah for a while now, and Charity knew that Noah felt the same too - and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to get to know each other better.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanessa bonds with Noah

Vanessa and Noah had been walking in comfortable silence for a moment or so before the vet decided to bite the bullet. The café was only a short distance away, and she wanted to make the most of getting to talk to him alone.

“Hey, thanks for letting us crash your day out,” she smiled at the teenager, bumping their shoulders together. He flashed her a bashful smile in return.

“It’s fine. I knew it would make Mum happy. And…” he shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed, “I kind of thought it’d be nice to get to know you and Johnny better. You’re all Moses talks about – not to mention Mum. But I don’t really know you that well yet.”

“Well, Johnny seems very taken with you,” Vanessa replied. She was slightly taken aback by the knowledge that Noah actually wanted to spend time with her and her son – both she and Charity had assumed he wouldn’t be too bothered, being the age he was.

“Listen, I’m sorry if you feel like we spend a lot of time together without you on purpose – that’s not the case at all. It’s just easy to have playdates when we aren’t working, what with Johnny and Moses being the same age, and you’re usually not around then,” she confessed. “To be honest, I didn’t think you’d want to hang out with us in your spare time – I’m sure you’ve got better things to do. Plus, this thing with me and your Mum – it’s not exactly been conventional, has it? We didn’t want to rush you into anything.”

“No, I get that,” Noah replied, looking down at the ground in a deliberate attempt to avoid eye contact. “It’s not… It’s just, I know you guys wanted to take things slow. And I appreciate not being forced to play happy families from day one – we’ve done enough of that over the years, and look how that worked out.”

Vanessa grimaced, but kept quiet as the boy continued.

“It’s nice that Moses and Johnny get on, and that you and Mum have been able spend some time together with them. But you’re her girlfriend now, right?”

Vanessa nodded. “Yeah, I am.” Noah bowed his head, suddenly shy.

“Well then, I think I’d like it if we all hung out together a bit more. If you’re dating my Mum then I’d like to get to know you. If that’s okay with you,” he finished, sounding self-conscious.

Vanessa was overcome with a surge of affection at his words – for Noah to actually _want_ to bond with her meant more than she’d imagined it would, especially given his history with parental figures.

“That’s more than okay, Noah,” she replied, trying to keep her emotions in check. “I’d love to get to know you better. Your mum adores you, you know. You, Moses, Debbie and the kids – you’re her world. And if I’m going to be a part of that world… well, then I want to be a part of yours too.”

The teenager grinned sideways at her, head tilted against the sun. “I’d like that.”

Without a second thought, Vanessa slung one arm around his shoulders and rubbed his arm caringly. “Me too.”

* * *

When they reached the café, Vanessa let Noah pick out a treat for the boys while she waited for their drinks – she'd ordered him a hot chocolate too, despite his protests that she didn’t have to spend her money on him.

“My treat,” she winked, a grateful smile breaking out across his face.

None of Charity’s partners had ever taken to him so easily before. Usually he was treated like a nuisance, someone they had to put up with for his mum’s sake, but he knew deep down they didn’t really want anything to do with him. Vanessa already seemed different, though. Even in the little time they’d spent together, she’d gone out of her way to make him feel comfortable and show that she cared, and that was an unfamiliar feeling – one he could definitely get used to.

“What’s this, then? Family day out?” Bob smiled at Vanessa as she handed over the cash. She blushed, glancing quickly across at Noah to see if he’d heard but the lad was tapping away on his phone and seemingly hadn’t, much to her relief. They might have been making progress, but it was a bit soon to start banding the “f” word around.

“Something like that, yeah,” she stuttered, taking the change from his outstretched palm and moving to pick up the cups.

“Well, it’s nice to see you happy,” Bob reassured. “Have a nice day, now!”

“Thanks, Bob.” She beckoned Noah over, handing him his drink before she dropped all three. Sensing her struggle, the teen pushed open the door and held it for Vanessa to walk through, before following her out into the sunshine.

“You know what Bob said before?” Noah blurted out a few moments later. “About you being happy. Are you really?”

“I am,” Vanessa replied sincerely. “Happier than I’ve been in a long time. Maybe ever.”

“Because of Mum?”

“Yeah, I suppose so. There are other things too, but yes, your Mum makes me very happy.”

Noah studied her carefully. “Good. I think…” he paused. “I think sometimes Mum thinks she only hurts people. That she can’t make them happy.”

Vanessa’s heart broke in that moment, not only for her girlfriend who she knew was weighed down with so much pain and self-loathing, but also for the young boy beside her, who seemed so much older than his years after seeing his mother struggle for so long.

“Well, she makes _me_ happy, I’ll tell you that for nothing,” she replied. “And I know she struggles to believe that, but I’ll try my hardest to make sure she knows. I’ll keep reminding her, don’t you worry.”

The teenager smiled softly. “Thanks." He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, clearly wondering whether to say what he wanted to, before deciding to bite the bullet. "I hope you know that you make her happy too. I’ve never seen her like this before, not really. She smiles a lot more, and she wants to spend time with us, and she’s actually trying to be a better _person_ for once. And I think that’s because of you.”

Vanessa wasn’t sure how to respond. In opening up to her, Noah had reminded her just how much Charity, and her whole family, had been through, and how important it was for her to try and be there for them as much as possible. Charity made her happier than she’d been in a long time, that much was true, and knowing she could return the favour meant the world – and that Noah could see it, and was thankful for it, was even better.

“I don’t think I can take all the credit for that, but it’s a lovely thing for you to say, Noah.”

“It’s true,” he shrugged. “Mum would agree. Everything’s changed since you two… you know.” He trailed off, voice so quiet Vanessa had to strain to hear him. “I hope things stay like this.”

Unsure as to whether or not she was meant to hear the last part, the vet settled for squeezing his arm gently in reassurance.

“You know what, Noah? I think this is just the beginning.”


End file.
